Funny that he used a religious holiday considering he is an atheist. In 2015, Passover starts on April 3 and runs until April 11.

Ted, a surprise comedy hit last summer, grossed over $540 million worldwide and followed the antics of Mark Wahlberg and his animated, foul-mouthed teddy bear. The sequel is scheduled to go before cameras next May. In an interview last year with Collider, Wahlberg raved about Ted 2 saying, “Seth’s ideas for the second one are sick. He comes from the world of episodic television so he knows how to tell the stories, man, in a way that most people don’t.”

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Next, we have some news that won’t really come as a surprise to anyone: Thor 3 is happening.

When E! asked Natalie Portman about her co-star Anthony Hopkins wanting to make a third Thor film (the second Thor: The Dark World is due out Nov. 8), she replied: “Yeah, well I think they are going to make a Thor 3, so I think Anthony will be pleased.”

Marvel has several blank dates in its release schedule, so it could be coming May 6, 2016, July 8, 2016 or May 5, 2017.

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Lastly, director Bryan Singer has tweeted that today marks the last day of shooting on X-Men: Days of Future Past.

He also posted an image of his mutant memorabilia, including Magneto’s helmet, Havoc’s suit and Angel’s wings (there’s a fourth thing there too). The picture was simply titled, “Artifacts.”

Days of Future Past is an X-Men mash-up that will find cast members from the original trilogy and First Class joining forces. The storyline deals with an alternative future in which mutants have been gathered and put in internment camps. A trailer that leaked online earlier this week, revealed that a future version of Wolverine travels back in time to warn the present-day X-Men.

In the off chance there aren’t enough serial killer shows competing for your free time on television these days, NBC is readying a TV adaptation based around author Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter.

Hannibal, who was previously played in three films by Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Red Dragon), as well as Brian Cox (Manhunter) and Gaspard Ulliel (Hannibal Rising), will star Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale).

It debuts April 4 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

The series will serve as a prequel of sorts to Red Dragon – the first book in Harris’ original trilogy. The show – which creator Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me) envisions running seven seasons – starts off with Lecter helping FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) solve serial murders.

“It’s before he was incarcerated, so he’s more of a peacock,” Fuller told EW.com. “There is a cheery disposition to our Hannibal. He’s not being telegraphed as a villain. If the audience didn’t know who he was, they wouldn’t see him coming.”

The show will run for 13-episode seasons – mirroring the shorter runs of episodic shows that air on HBO and Showtime.

Hopkins won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the cannibalistic serial killer in 1991′s The Silence of the Lambs. He then went on to reprise the character in the 2001 sequel, Hannibal, and the 2002 prequel, Red Dragon.

Ulliel played a younger version of the character in 2007′s much-maligned, Hannibal Rising.

Lecter was also played by Brian Cox in Michael Mann’s Manhunter, an adaptation of Red Dragon that was released in 1986.

So, it appears Mikkelsen has a lot to live up to when it comes to giving audiences a fresh take on filmdom’s favourite cannibal.

The show also stars Laurence Fishburne and will feature guest spots from Eddie Izzard and Gillian Anderson.

Watch the trailer below and let us know what you think of the proposed series. Is the Lecter character played out? Should there have been a sequel to Harris’ Hannibal (which left the character on the run)? Most of all, can Lecter compete with The Following’s Joe Carroll and Dexter Morgan?

Our Contributors

Bruce Kirkland has been a reporter with Sun Media for 31 years. He has worked the movies beat from 1980-2007, and still focuses on TIFF, Cannes, Oscars. Before taking a position at the Toronto Sun, he worked at the Ottawa Journal as entertainment editor and movie critic from 1979-80, and at Toronto Star as music critic and general-assignment news reporter from 1971-79.

Jim has been a Sun reporter for 28 years. Previously covered TV beat and all entertainment fields. Scriptwriter for NHL Awards, Gemini Awards, documentaries. Prior to Sun, worked at Ottawa Citizen as entertainment reporter from 1981-1983.

Liz Braun has been a Sun reporter for 25 years, all as movies critic. Worked concurrently in TV and radio for 20 years; co-hosted the original On The Arts for CBC National TV, for example and also appeared on Canada AM and various TV talk shows with regard to entertainment news. Previously was a music publicist: national director of publicity for CBS (now Sony) Records and Concert Productions International.